1997’s Anastasia was an epic, animated musical and one of the surprising non-Disney endeavors when the entertainment giant was dominating the 1990s market. 20th Century Fox had owned the rights to Anastasia since the production of the 1956 film starring Ingrid Bergman, on which the 1997 remake was based. But adding music, new characters, and choosing to add a memorable list of songs to the retelling was a stroke of inspiration. Similar to George Bernard Shaw’s play, Pygmalion — which partially inspired the ’97 film – Anastasia has seen many different iterations over the years from stage to screen. And though the leading character herself is based on a tragic historical figure, the story of her short life has reached mythical proportions.
Audiences never seem to tire of hearing about the fated Romanov daughter and the idea that she may have survived her assassins. Even after the truth of her death was revealed in 2007, Anastasia merited a remake in Broadway form. And with Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019, it might be time for her to step into the spotlight once more.
Meg Ryan Was Animators’ First Choice for Anastasia
When directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman were looking to cast their movie, they started with the leading lady. Meg Ryan was approached by the filmmakers but wasn’t sure she wanted to commit since Anastasia’s true-life story is steeped in tragedy. The real Anastasia was assassinated at the age of 17, along with the rest of her family, during the Russian Revolution. But Bluth and Goldman admitted they took the route of flattery to get Ryan to come onto the project. They whipped up an animation test using audio of Ryan’s performance as Annie Reed in Sleepless in Seattle and presented it to the actress. Ryan took the role after seeing the test, admitting, “I was blown away that they did that . . . I couldn’t say no.”
The ’90s was the decade that celebrity casting became common in voice-over. Following the success of Robin Williams as the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin, studios began to turn their minds to celebrities to bring their animated heroes and heroines to life. And Anastasia had its fair share of heavy hitters. ’90s favorite rom-com star, John Cusack, starred as the conman turned romantic interest, Dimitri. Vulture described how his performance “fit his very ’90s rom-com nice-guy arc: He talks like a salesman out to exploit an opportunity.” And added how Ryan was “uniquely melodic as the titular Anastasia, and Cusack’s voice is a perfect foil.” Indeed, the dynamic between Anya/Anastasia and Dimitri was very reminiscent of a Nora Ephron dynamic à la You’ve Got Mail. Not a common trope you see in a Disney movie, but one that 20th Century Fox chose to lean into.
Generally, voice actors tend to record their parts separately, but for Anastasia, the studio made an exception. Production began with Ryan recording her lines on her own, but something just wasn’t working. Goldman said, “Ryan he was having a tough time not being able to be cute with her body and her face and expressions that she did.” For actors not accustomed to performing everything in front of a mic with only line readers to play off of, this could present a real challenge. Luckily, in this case, Cusack and Ryan’s recording sessions were back-to-back, so they were able to accommodate the actors in such a way that they could perform together. The change in their performance was clear and Goldman added that “it made a huge difference.”
Many other iconic voices added their names to the film’s roster. Angela Lansbury opens the movie narrating as the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, mother of Tsar Nicholas II. Kelsey Grammar –who was still starring in his own sitcom Frasier at the time — played Vlad, Dimitri’s cohort. Woody Allen and Martin Short were both considered for the role of Bartok the bat, but Hank Azaria won out after he adlibbed dialogue for the comedic kung fu scene. Peter O’Toole was originally considered for Rasputin, but the role went to Back to the Future star Christopher Lloyd. Anastasia screenwriter Bruce Graham simply stated, “kids don’t know who Peter O’Toole is, but they’ve all seen Back to the Future.”
